Create a Custom Natural Wall Art Piece With Wooden Shims

I have a fond love of decorating with do-it-yourself wall art. Filling bare walls can become pretty expensive with custom art pieces and that is only when you can actually find something that truly fits your style and personality. You get exactly what you looking for when you create your own pieces and it is not only fun to stretch your imagination, but far less expensive to fill any size space.

I wanted to bring some natural rustic elements into the living room and started playing around with some wooden shims I had left over from this pieceI created for the holidays. I remembered seeing a decorating show once where they made a wooden focal wall and loved the idea and warmth it added to the space. Needless to say I only had one pack of shims which wasn’t getting me that far, so I headed off to the hardware store. Eight dollars and six packs of shims later I had a one of a kind art piece that turned out better than I envisioned.

This piece can be made any size however this tutorial is for a finished piece measureing 24 inches tall and 33 1/2 inches wide.

Begin with a piece of plywood cut to 24 inches tall X 33 1/2 inches wide. I used a piece of Luan that is fairly light weight and pretty inexpensive running about $10 for an 8ft piece. If you do not have a circular saw to cut your wood, your local hardware store is usually more than happy to make the cuts for you – just have your dimensions together. You can also check the scrap bin {usually found by the cutting station in the store} for pieces. Sometimes you can find exactly what you are looking for under a $1 a piece.

For a finished look I used 3/4 inch wood strips to make a simple frame around the edge. {two 24 inch pieces and two 32 inch pieces} Decorative molding and trim can also be used – just take the dimensions into consideration when making your cuts.

The dimensions of the cut plywood above is calculated based on using 4 rows of 17 {8 inch} shims and 3/4 inch molding.

Attach the molding to the outside of the plywood with Gorilla Wood Glue and clamp in place to dry.

I used an easy end to edge frame butt joint for the corners instead of worrying about miter cuts.

Once the glue is dry, turn the plywood over and run staples into the back of the wood to reinforce the hold. I used a hand stapler and 3/4 inch staples to ensure they were long enough to go through the plywood and into the molding.

Your now ready to layout the shims. Wood shims are very inexpensive and can be found at your local hardware store running just $1.30 for a pack of twelve. {For the size of this particular piece, six packs were used} Shims are not the best top quality wood so you may have to go through the pack and weed out any that are cracked or just not up to par. These can be laid out in any pattern – though I just chose to alternate them in straight lines as shown above.

The surface of each shim was then lightly sanded and glued into place. I started out using wood glue but noticed that it was making the wood curl and buckle so I ended up hot gluing them all in place.

Once the shims are in place and completely filling the frame, the piece can be painted or stained as you like.

I originally applied an oil stain and began wiping it off as the suggested on the can however, because the shims are not of the best quality, the color really did not take and it was soak right up as shown above.

To get a deep true color I had to apply a heavy coat of the stain and just let it sit {without wiping}. It will take a few hours to completely dry but produces much better results with true color.

Though a real fine woodworker may cringe at the thought of using inexpensive shims, I love the character and charm each individual stained piece adds to the total look. It’s just the right amount of rustic warmth I was looking for – yet still a unique piece with a little modern twist.

Stephanie, this piece is just absolutely beautiful. We are hoping to buy a 200 year old farmhouse, and I think something like this would look incredible hanging over the fireplace in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.

Stephanie – Another creative use for wood shims; great job! I made something similar but even simpler to construct. I called it Shim Chic. http://veryirie.blogspot.com/2010/05/shim-chic.html Instead of staining, I opted to use the plain polycrylic because it brought out the various colors in the wood shims.

oh that is so awesome…. ooooooo it would be great in another color too! You could do so much with this!! Great job! And now that my internet is back up and running I can grab your feature button! Thanks again!! <3

I’ve thought about doing my entire new office dormer like this, but with either pallet lumber or wooden lathe. You can buy wooden lathe @ the hardware store by the bundle. It’s used for plaster walls. The effect would be more random but very cool..

Wow. Just found you through Tatertots and Jello. You have got some incredible projects on here! This post is great – I have so been into wood wall art lately. I’ve never heard of shims. Are they the same thing as furring strips?

Hi Leslie – The shims are a tad bit different than furring strips. They can be found in the lumber section of the hardware store. Furring strips are straight where shim have a slope to them. I tried to email you back but there was no email on file…Thanks for visiting and the kind comments! ~ Stephanie Lynn

I love this and I love your blog~so many inspiring ideas! I made one this past weekend and it turned out great with the help of your fabulous directions! I’ve gotten lots of compliments on it already. Thanks for the inspiration!

Stephanie, almost every time I visit your blog, I stop to see this beautiful wall art! I think I want to make a skinny version (two shims wide) and tea/vinegar stain it. I think it would be such a great kitty scratching surface and would look beautiful at the same time! You are so creative!

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